I’m back! After spending five months frolicking across Europe, writing a column about my experiences and revelations, I’ve finally returned to write about the important things in life — video games. And let me tell you: When you spend five months stewing on new industry announcements and opinions, it’s hard to choose just one. But alas, I must, so let me address the elephant in the room.

Nintendo is robbing y’all blind, then running away laughing! They’re laughing at you! This pains me to write as a massive fan of multiple Nintendo-owned intellectual properties. I grew up on “The Legend of Zelda,” “Mario Kart” and “Super Smash Bros.,” so I understand why Nintendo has such a loyal fan following. However, no matter how much I love the company for what it’s creatively released, I cannot defend predatory business practices. 

So, is this article going to be a piece ranting about how the Switch 2 is an overpriced cash grab resulting from the planned obsolescence of the first Switch? Not exactly. Honestly, there’s nothing I can say about the Switch 2 that hasn’t already been said, so I’d rather not spend my time writing an article you could find a clone of on IGN or Polygon. Rather, I’d like to turn my attention to the Switch clones I’ve noticed creeping their way into the mainstream market.

Handheld gaming consoles aren’t a novel concept. They’re what many generations of gamers grew up on. From the Game Boy to the Nintendo DS, handhelds have been a gaming staple for years. What I do want to point out, though, is that the majority of handheld success has been enjoyed by Nintendo. 

Though other companies did release their attempts at handhelds before the first Switch came out in 2017, such as Sony’s PlayStation Portable from 2004, nothing ever gained the same attention or traction as Nintendo handheld consoles. 

Nintendo has always been known for its retro, bright and cartoonish brand aesthetic both in its physical products and IPs, and the company’s success is built on both non-portable and previously mentioned handheld gaming systems. Its success in the handheld market is the result of years of perfecting and refining its design, technology and brand positioning.

However, as Sony and Microsoft started seeing far more traction in their home gaming systems with newer, sleeker versions of the PlayStation and Xbox in the late 2000s and 2010s, handheld gaming fell to the wayside, especially after the failure of the Wii U in 2012. 

The successes of the PlayStation and Xbox suggested that more and more people desired an at-home experience where they could play with their friends and families, rather than a handheld device. Additionally, mobile gaming temporarily quenched gamers’ need for a portable gaming console, as they already carried one in their pocket every day. 

This is part of why the release of the Nintendo Switch was so revolutionary and industry-changing: It drew upon Nintendo’s expertise in welcoming handheld gaming, while combining the ability to play at home on a television with ease. The Switch came with unique party games and mechanics, encouraging gamers to play with their new devices docked or on the go. Though the Switch had its warranted criticisms — low processing power, controller drift — it was, still is and forever will be a fantastic gaming release.

You know what they say: “Every masterpiece has its cheap copy.” Soon after the Switch’s massive success, other companies slowly came out of the woodwork with their own handheld consoles, looking to capitalize on the Switch’s success. 

The most notable was the Steam Deck, which has honestly seen a good amount of success. Though many were initially skeptical of its release, the console has seen enough attention and praise to call its release positive, with IGN giving it a respectable 7/10 upon release. But I think this is mostly because the Steam Deck brought something new to the table, considering that it’s basically a portable PC, able to run almost any game from the player’s Steam library.

Many other handheld PC releases followed the Steam Deck, including the ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go. With the market becoming more and more saturated every year for handheld consoles, it makes one wonder what these companies are thinking, especially considering that if they’re not bringing something special — exclusive games, new features — there’s no reason for gamers to replace their old handhelds with new ones. 

This brings us to now. This past weekend, Microsoft announced the holiday release of the ROG XBOX ALLY X. Putting aside that absolutely tragic name — I don’t know how or why it got approved — I really do not know who this product is for. 

Though there will certainly be Xbox die-hards who purchase the device, I cannot imagine other gamers, who probably already have a handheld console, wanting this one in their collection. Almost anything you can do on a handheld Xbox, you can do on a Switch or Steam Deck.

I find this move by Microsoft to be indicative of an internal identity crisis. Having received lukewarm reception for its past few consoles and barely managing to keep up with the popularity of its primary competitors, it is strange to me that the company would focus on developing a handheld console. Maybe after admitting defeat in the console wars, Microsoft felt it was time for something new.

I don’t want to spend my whole piece harping on Xbox — it’s certainly not the first nor last gaming company to release its own handheld console. Additionally, the Xbox handheld has seen positive reception from gaming communities. Perhaps at this point, releasing a handheld is becoming an industry standard. 

However, if that is the case, it raises some questions in my mind about how quickly the gaming industry is losing its innovative momentum, and when it is going to slow entirely. Nintendo opened a handheld Pandora’s box, and I’d be lying if I said we shouldn’t shut it.

Aubrie Cole is a rising senior writing about video games in her column, “Downloadable Content,” which runs every other week. She is also the managing editor at the Daily Trojan.